


You're The Best Christmas Gift I Ever Got

by ThePowerofGoodbye



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Christmas Fluff, F/M, M/M, Mall Santa AU, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, elf eddie, maggie and wentworth tozier are great parents, sonia kaspbrak is not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21882352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePowerofGoodbye/pseuds/ThePowerofGoodbye
Summary: Richie Tozier hates the mall at Christmas. He could think of about a million other ways he’d rather spend one of the few days of his winter break home from college than getting dragged around the mall for hours. But when Beverly needs help looking for Ben’s gift, Richie sees something that makes facing the crowds worth wild.(Otherwise known as the college/mall Santa au no one asked for)
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 1
Kudos: 96
Collections: IT Fandom Secret Santa 2019





	You're The Best Christmas Gift I Ever Got

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a secret Santa present for star-gore on Tumblr.

Richie Tozier wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this, but he knew he better be on the nice list for it. Wandering around the overcrowded Derry mall, almost getting knocked down by frantic shoppers the week before Christmas, carrying an arm load of bags as he followed Beverly around. He groaned loudly as his fiery haired best friends continued to sort through shelves of books. She rolled her eyes but pointedly ignored him.

“Come on Bev! You know Ben is so obsessed with you that it doesn’t matter what you get him!” He leaned against the book shelf next to her. “You could literally give him the most generic gift of all time and he’d still love it and talk about it for months until we all get sick of him.”

“Richie,” She stopped and looked up at him. “This is me and Ben’s first Christmas together. I want it to be perfect.”

Richie sighed, feeling an uncomfortable wash of guilt. He knew how crazy about each other Beverly and Ben were and how much they had gone through to be together and he was happy for them. Especially after everything Beverly had gone through last year with that jerk Tom she’d been dating. Richie wasn’t sure he’d ever hated anyone as much as he hated Tom fucking Rogan. He wished he could say it was him and not Ben who knocked that smug smirk off his horse face. He’d tried though and got the black eye and chipped tooth to prove it. Beverly had cried and told him he was an idiot but it was worth it to him. Richie knew he was being kind of a jerk, he really was happy Ben and Bev had each other, he just wasn’t sure how much more shopping he could handle. Sensing this, Beverly sighed, stopping her searching to turn and face him.

“Okay, I shouldn’t be much longer. Why don’t you go harass Mike at the Santa booth and I’ll come meet you when I’m done?”

“Okay, fine but you’re buying me a pretzel.” Richie agreed with a mock salute, turning on his heels and leaving a laughing Beverly behind him. A curly head of hair behind the register caught his eye though.

“Hey, Stan the man! Am I going to see you at Bill’s party tonight?”

Stan looked up from the puzzle that was currently keeping him occupied at the front desk. It was 1000 tiny pieces that from what Richie could see was supposed to eventually coming together to form a mural of robins. Right now it was only edge pieces and a few tell tail signs of red that Stan looked up from to give Richie a tight mouthed bitch face. “You mean my boyfriends party? The one he’s throwing me for Hanukkah. No of course not.”

Richie laughed and rolled his eyes. “Well who’s going to blow out the candles then?”

Stan’s face did not shift, “It’s an electric menorah, trashmouth.”

Richie shrugged. He reached over the counter and picked up a piece of the puzzle, putting it in place before heading out the door with a call over his shoulder of “See you tonight.”

Outside the quiet of the bookstore the Derry Town Mall was bustling with the week before Christmas holiday crowds. People pushed by each other, speeding from store to store as ‘Here Comes Santa Clause’ played through the overhead speakers. The enticing smell of food court burgers and pizza hung in the air, making Richie’s stomach rumble as he got closer to Santa’s Village right outside the food court. The mall had gone all out this year with the village and the effort showed as soon as you walked up to it. But of course you could, Ben and Bill had built it after all. As soon as they had heard that the money raised through pictures with Santa would be going to help buy gifts for the local homeless shelter they had both been on board and between Ben’s building skills and Bill’s art skills, even Richie had to admit that it looked great.

The small house in the middle of the mall looked almost like a gingerbread house with its tan, glittery walls decorated with hooked candy canes painted along the walls and mountains of fluffy, fake snow covering the roof and lining the floor leading up to the house. The front of the house had a large open space though where you could see inside, but instead of an evil witch waiting inside it was Mike Hanlon, the actual nicest person in Derry. Mike sat on a large, red velvet lined chair in full red suit and white beard. He even had a pillow under his jacket to give him the bowl full of jelly look. In single file kids were ushered into the gingerbread house where they could meet Santa while Bill stood outside snapping pictures for their parents. Richie couldn’t understand why anyone would voluntarily used their painfully, criminally short winter break to go to the mall every day wearing a costume to deal with screaming, bratty kids all day but something that nice just fit Mike. He made a great Santa Clause too. He had a bright friendly smile under that white beard, and he’d spent most of November practicing his perfect “Ho-Ho-Ho!” Until Stan had begged and threatened to get him to shut up.

Richie laughed to himself, walking right up to the village and bypassing the line of kids going all the way back towards the bookstore, heading straight for Bill standing by the camera, snapping pictures. He tapped him on the shoulder, stealing a candy cane out of the bucket beside him when Bill turned his head. He opened the wrapper and popped it in his mouth with a smirk as Bill turned back to look at him. Bill’s eyes widened, flashing from the Santa house back to him.

“How’s it going Big Bill? I still can’t believe you volunteered for this.”

Bill’s eyes stayed wide, flickering back and forth between Richie and the gingerbread house then back to Richie. He swallowed thickly. “Richie?! Ne-,nei-neither can I.” He quickly turned back to the camera, snapping more pictures of the next kid sitting on Mike’s knee in the gingerbread house. “I th-,th-,thought that you ha-, hated the m-,m-,mall?”

“Well I do but Bev wanted help finding Ben’s gift so here I am. Never let it be said Richie Tozier isn’t a good friend.” He said, barley bothering to take the candy cane out of his mouth.

“W-,well w-w-,why don’t you g-,go hel-,help her?” He rushed, “we’re kind of bu-,busy h-,h-,here anyways.” Bill laughed uneasily, clearing his throat.

Richie’s brows furrowed thickly under his chunky black frames. He narrowed his eyes at Bill, “Are you trying to get rid of me Big Bill? Are you worried that Beverly is going to steal away your man? Because judging from the bird puzzle he has doing when I left I’m 100% positive she’s not interested.”

Bill cracked a smile at the thought of Stan putting together a bird puzzle at work but his face quickly shifted back into one of worry as he looked again back and forth between the house where kids were still filling through, telling Santa what they want for Christmas. “N-,No I just think it’s ru-,rude to leave Bev a-,a-,alone?”

Richie opened his mouth before his eye caught something that knocked him speechless.

“Okay, kid but seriously cover your mouth. It’s flu season and Santa can not afford to get sick. He’s a very important man and he cannot, I repeat, Santa cannot get sick!” A familiar voice fussed at the kids in line.

Richie’s jaw dropped, his candy cane falling to the floor but he ignored Bill’s small groan at the sticky candy hitting the floor. Eddie stepped out of the gingerbread house to face the line of waiting kids and make sure they were in a straight line. Richie blinked, almost expecting him to disappear when he opened his eyes back up but he was still there and very hard to miss in his costume. In red and white, candy cane stripped socks went up to his knees over his too tight red skinny jeans that Richie would take the time to focus on later. On top he wore a festive green jacket over a red shirt peaking out from underneath and a green, pointed hat with big, fake pointed ears on the sides.

“What the ho-ho-hell?” Richie stumbled, still staring wide eyed at his boyfriend. A huge, mischievous grin breaking out on his face. It was like Christmas had come early. He looked over at Bill with that same expression that made Bill sigh softly.

‘Sorry Eddie’ he apologized silently. “Ju-,just g-,go easy on him al-,alr-,alright Rich?” Bill shook his head, turning back to the camera and clicking away more pictures.

Richie nodded but said nothing. The ear-splitting grin still on his face as he brushed by Bill and almost knocked a few kids down getting to Eddie. “Eddie spaghetti! Does your mother know you’re out here wearing jeans like that?”

Eddie froze. His shoulders tensed and his eyes widened as he turned to face his boyfriend. His wide eyed, slacked jawed expression mirrored Richie’s at the sight of him. He glanced over at Bill for help but Bill refused to make eye contact, instead focusing himself on the camera in front of him. The shock quickly slipped off of Eddie’s face, replaced quickly by his best bitch face that Richie had seen a million times before. Richie just laughed and shook his head, the smile never leaving his face even when Eddie’s brows pinched together, and his eyes narrowed.

“Sir, if you’re not here to see Santa then you’ll have to step aside.” He dead paned.

“Well actually I’d love to see Santa but I’ve been pretty naughty this year.” Richie waggled his eyebrows over his glasses making Eddie groan.

“Hey, sounds like that are why I’m on the naughty list.” He joked. “But maybe you can put in a good word for me?”

“I doubt it.” Eddie crossed his arms self-consciously. “What are you even doing here anyway? I though you hated the mall?”

“The mall? No. The crowds, the traffic, the people fighting over gifts for people they don’t even like anyway? Yes.”

Eddie looked away, down at the line of kids, sending another running inside then wincing as one kid began having a coughing fit. Richie straightened up, the grin sliding off his face. He reached out and tugged at the point of Eddie’s ears attached to his hat.

“Why didn’t you tell me you got a job over break?”

Eddie swatted his hand away. “It just until Christmas then I’m burning these socks and the hat.”

Richie laughed, shoving his hands down in his coat pockets to resist from reaching out and tugging at the ears again. “Okay but I still don’t get why you wouldn’t tell me? I mean I’m hurt Eds! Truly, truly hurt!” Richie gritted out dramatically, clutching his heart and stumbling back, getting looks from some of the parents waiting with their kids nearby. But he felt a warm feeling of pride in his chest when he saw Eddie crack a smile.

“Shut up, I did this for you trashmouth.” Eddie shook his head, but his eyes widened and his smile dropped when he realized what he said. He straightened up and pushed the next kids forward into the house towards Mike.

Richie tilted his head to the side, “What do you mean? Are you going to wear the costume in bed? Please tell me you’re going to wear the socks at least? I can probably get Mike to loan me the Santa suit.”

Eddie pursed his lips, biting back a smile at Richie’s pervy humor that he loved to hate so much. With a soft sigh he crossed his arms again and looked up at Richie, curing their height difference not for the first time. “Look, we both know my mom cut me off after I came out and being a college kid isn’t exactly a paying gig.”

Richie nodded, he wouldn’t ever forget Eddie storming into his house in the middle of Thanksgiving, apologizing as he ranted about how he’d had enough of his mom and had finally told her off and while he was at it, told her he was gay and dating Richie. Maggie had hugged him tight and fixed him a slice of pumpkin pie, Wentworth had slapped him on the back, and Richie had never felt so proud. It was also why Eddie was spending Christmas break with the Tozier’s this year.

“And it’s our first Christmas together so I really wanted to be able to get you something.” Eddie admitted sheepishly, looking closely at Richie for his reaction.

Richie blinked, staring at Eddie for a moment, making him nervous. But Richie didn’t notice, too preoccupied with the feeling of his heart skipping and a warm blush making its way up his neck to his cheeks. “Aww, Eddie Spaghetti!” He laughed, grabbing the shorter man up into a hug and picking him up off the ground even as Eddie screeched to be put down. “You know you don’t have to get me anything right? Just spending Christmas with you is enough.”

Eddie smiled shyly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck as he was placed back on his feet.

“Besides I know being in a mall during flu season must be killing you right now.” Richie laughed, freely tugging on the felt ears sewed to Eddie’s hat.

Eddie swatted his hand away with more enthusiasm this time. “Yeah, yeah, just try and act surprised when you see your gift okay?”

“Oh my God, you are wearing the costume home aren’t you?!”

Eddie rolled his eyes dramatically, trying to act annoyed and not at all like he was considering the idea when he grabbed the front of Richie’s sweatshirt and pulled his down into a kiss. Several of the kids standing around them groaned loudly and made exaggerated gagging noises but Richie and Eddie ignored them, instead Richie’s hands found their way to Eddie’s face, cupping his cheeks in his hands as he deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart both out of air and the want not to get Eddie fired it was the sound of a camera snapping that caught their attention. Bill laughed to himself as he caught the kiss on camera but his expression dropped some at the angry elf now staring him down, hands on his hips.

“You’re a dead man Denbrough!”


End file.
